Guardian Angel in Disguise
by consensual-candy
Summary: What if only a boy could volunteer to take the place of a girl tribute? And what if Peeta never so much as expressed the slightest bit of feelings to Katniss in the games? Is Katniss all alone? And finally, who will prevail as champion? Only one can win.
1. Chapter 1

"May I announce the girl tribute from District 12," it was at this moment that everybody simultaneously held their bated breaths, tensed and taut, "Primrose Everdeen!" It wasn't meant to happen this way. Or maybe to a certain Katniss Everdeen, it just meant a twist of fate. But whatever the hell it was, she wasn't exactly prepared. So it wasn't really a surprise when her knees started to give way and she almost buckled to the ground. "No, it's not possible. There is no way in _hell_." but even she didn't sound convincing to herself. Katniss knew she would gladly volunteer to be tribute but it was against the laws of the Hunger Games. There was no way. Her sister was as good as dead and she couldn't do _anything_ about it. The twelve year old with her blouse untucked strode galiantly on stage and took her place, lips pursed in a straight line to keep from wobbling. Katniss knew she was losing sanity at a rapid pace and tried to hold it in by clutching the arm of another, whoever she was and shut her eyes, willing herself not to cry. "Wonderful, a lot of guts she has." observed Effie Trinket, the one with the hair problems as Katniss vaguely remembered. Lifting her gray and smoky eyes to meet those of Prim's distinctly blue ones, she saw that her sister was making a conscious effort to keep from shaking. Again, Katniss felt her daggers stab and stab relentlessly into her heart and not wanting to; she gazed down at her blue dress, madly tearing at the sequins. "I presume nobody's willing to take her place." _Damn right you are_, Katniss cursed silently. As if reading her mind, Effie gave a merry clap of her hands and sauntered over to draw out a boy tribute's name while chirping "My, what an interesting day!" though Katniss couldn't locate so much as _anything_ that served the least bit of interest. It was at that precise moment when Katniss lost all hopes and wishful thinking when a voice, masculine and as clear as a peal of bells, rung out. "I volunteer."


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss first felt hopeless, drained of faith and positively fuming. She came out renewed, full of jive and all in all, dramatically opposite. How the transformation occurred went past her notice but all she knew was that she was gripping somebody's hand so hard that it might break. But who cared anyway? Prim was safe and that was all that mattered. She could just scream at the relief and at last, she felt her heart slow…to a stop. She felt her eyes go wide again and watched with unrequited dread and confusion as a boy whom she recognized from years ago took his place on stage. Ashen blond hair, stocky build and those blue eyes. _No one should have eyes as blue as that _Katniss thought. She had only woken up at the crack of dawn and had caught the most magical shade of blue that resembled that of the boy's. It was Peeta Mellark.

She had never addressed the owner directly but he left the deepest impression. Without really realizing it, Katniss's gaze skittered all over him and she found herself admitting that he looked more handsome and grown up than before. Her eyes landed on his and for just a quadrant of a second, their eyes met. A moment later, his eyes flitted away quickly and she blushed to the roots of her hair. _Why does he have this control over the regulation of my body temperature?_ she thought and later cursed herself. Then something hit her-Peeta didn't look so much as scared at all. There were no traces of fear or horror or _anything_. He only held a bored, tired and sober look like a child who was hearing the same lecture over and over again.

"Oh." Effie said and then quickly recovered by adding "What an exciting day, come on, take your place then." And ushered Peeta near the podium. All Katniss could actually do was keep from letting her jaw drop. Her mind was processing only one thought which was 'What is he _doing_?' Oh well, and another clawing at the back of her brain going 'Why him of all people?' Putting both thoughts together, Katniss vaguely reminisced the day it all started. The first day she saw _him_…


	3. Chapter 3

Katniss was a mere five years old then. It was Christmas and Aunt Julian was ushering her to get to her feet and make snow angels while she still could. It was while she was grabbing her coat when Katniss started to the door, swinging it open and threateningly making the door hinges come off. She vaguely remembered that it was a starry night, with little twinkles in the sky that reflected those in her eyes. It was late at night and the atmosphere was somewhat quiet but to little Katniss, every hour was playtime. And so she rushed to each house, demanding a little gingerbread or caramel lolly until even Miss Goodheart, the kindest old lady in the neighbourhood, had a look that warned Katniss to stop pushing her luck too far. She was starting home, definitely elated about the pockets full of little trinkets-though they were not given very wlllingly, when she remembered the snow angels. Entirely forgetting her candies, she shrugged out of her coat and got down flat on her back, flapping her hands against the snow to make the outline of wings. Giggling like crazy, she sought to grab a clump of frosted snow to make the shape of a head and started to get up when…

'Whoosh!' the icy feeling of having snow trickle down her back made her more startled than anything at all. It was only when she realized that she was covered by a pile of very heavy snow did she realize that she couldn't breathe. Small, fragile hands clawed at the snow and Katniss poked the top of her black head out, yelling, kicking and all the while panicking. 'Aunt Julian! Help me!' but there was no reply. The feeling of panic was setting in and Katniss was scared. More than scared, petrified. She had always been a fighter but nobody ever mentioned calm under pressure. Just as she thought of Mommy and Daddy and Prim and how mad they would be at Aunt Julian considering that fact that she was going to die, a strong pair of arms pulled her out from above and Katniss let out the breath that she had been holding. The first thing she saw was a pair of eyes so blue it resembled lapis lazuli and turquoise mixed together. It held unmistaken mischief and as she got higher and higher, her feet sloshing the snow, she saw that her saviour was grinning down at her with a friendly smile. The kind that people at the Welfare Committee had. You know, the ones that was reassuring and kind all at once.

"Hey, little Kitty. No one as small as you should be wandering alone at night. Especially if a pile of snow happens to plonk on your head." the boy with the sunny smile teased, administering a motion that suggested she was being hit by something. Katniss laughed. It was impossible not to. But she stopped when she felt a shiver go through her small frame, shaking her to the core. Instantly, the boy had her in a piggyback ride and ran towards…Where was he going anyway? Katniss noticed he was running towards the direction of her house but she knew that she had never seen him in the neighbourhood before. Besides, from the way heat was emaniciating from his trench coat definitely gave off signals that his family was rich. Nobody could afford one like his. Even Katniss's was in tatters. So he probably lived in the upper classes, nearer to the town. But she was surprised when he made a left turn just past her house and kicked open the front door, setting her down on the couch and turning away to look for something. She was mildly confused right now but sought to leave it as it was, preferring to enjoy the comforts and warmth instead. She curled into a ball, setting her head down on a pillow and closed her eyes. Moments later, she felt a comforter being lain on her and looked up to see the fringe of the boy's ashy blond hair flopping into his eyes.

A while later after setting it straight, he was about to hurry into the kitchen when Katniss grabbed him by the hand and pulled him down to face her at eye level. "Wait, what's your name?" Blue eyes regarded her for a moment before saying "I'm Peeta. Peeta Mellark. We just shifted here. I know you live next door though because I saw you knocking on the front door. And I followed you." Katniss looked at him a little while longer and then realization hit her. This was the boy whom all the girls were talking about. The boy from the South who would be in the upper class. The one whom Lauren Zegers, most popular girl in class, had met at the bakery. She had said he was cute and adorably sweet. Sweet is right. It was when Katniss was thinking when the front door tore open and a thunderous voice reverberated through, making Katniss shake. And she knew it wasn't from the cold either.

"Rotten good for nothing! Didn't I tell you to pave the walkway? You've got snow in my shoes!" Almost in an instant, Peeta had her hidden in the back closet, with the clothes shrouding her completely. Katniss didn't know what was happening but whatever it was, it wasn't good. "Peeta! What is this?" a plump woman with thick eyebrows and heavily-lidded eyes came into view. She glared at Peeta and the couch, alternating views. "I was sleeping on the couch," Almost instantly, a hand shot out and slapped Peeta, causing him to reel backwards and hit the closet that Katniss was in. It rattled and opened just the slightest fraction. "What did I say? I said NO sleeping until all work is done!" the crazy woman screeched. Katniss could see Peeta clearly now. His face was deathly pale but he kept it utterly brave. However, his eyes reflected fear and Katniss could only helplessly pray that the woman would just _stop_. After a few bated seconds, Miss Don't-You-Dare-Ruin-My-Shoes stormed out, not looking at Peeta so much as once to see if he was injured.

Katniss strained her ears. The moment she heard the sound of heavy footsteps dissipate, she nimbly got out of the closet, aware of her footing. Tip-toeing to face Peeta, she noticed a bruise under his right eye that was already molting. She was about to touch it to see if it was lumpy when Peeta urged "Get out of here while you still can! Do you want her to catch you in her house without permission?" His voice was whispery but Katniss could hear the silent panic. "But," she started to protest like any five year old would do when they were bossed around. "Go! It's better for you and me if you're gone. _Now!_" his voice raised just the slightest notch. Katniss believed him. She turned away, looking for the door and proceeding to run towards it as silently as possible.

Outside, she felt the cold rush of icy wind and the gale winds, whipping her hair all about. She sucked in a deep breath and all at once, she realized that Peeta would never have this kind of freedom. Just being tortured at home and forced to do things that any normal five year old shouldn't be doing. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had rushed back inside, long trench coat trailing after her and kneeled down. "Wha..I told you to go didn't I? How many times must I-" Peeta scolded, only to stop short when Katniss wrapped her skinny arms around him and gave hima bear hug. Then she left, leaving behind a much startled Peeta. And it was as she was running in the snow when she vowed to herself never to forget the boy with the turquoise blue eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

And she never did forget the deed. She wasn't sure of Peeta though. She vividly remembered going to school the next day, trying hard to locate Peeta when she saw a large crowd near the end of the hallway, just outside her class. When she neared, she saw a bunch of girls, Cidy Bason, Emma Pelter and several other popular girls. And the surprise of seeing Peeta being flocked by them was overwhelming. There weren't only girls, but boys from the rugby and football team, slapping Peeta on the back and giving him the smile. The one that they reserved for cool kids. Katniss had wanted to approach Peeta before but she immediately recoiled. Drawing her hand back, she walked into class, hunching and keeping her face down. However, luck was not on her side that day. "Hey Kitty!" someone called. Katniss turned and met the eyes of the coolest people in class. All in all, Katniss never was one to give a damn about people's perception of her. But at the moment, among the sea of unfriendly faces, she knew that Peeta's was looking at hers, watching her every move.

To make matters worse, Ryan Reynolds made his way over and grabbed her already torn bag from her narrow shoulders and lifted it up. It was meant to snatch her bag away but since Katniss was so skinny, it lifted her from the floor as well. This cracked the whole group up and Katniss, not wanting to, felt something sad swell up in her. It was while she was holding her tears when a slightly tanned arm reached up to grasp Ryan's arm and yanked it off Katniss. Katniss felt herself fall to the floor, only to be held up by an arm that was so…muscular. Katniss noticed this with a wave of discomfort, only to realize that this belonged to Peeta's. He was holding her up by the waist with one arm and settled her to the floor. Katniss straightened up and looked not at Ryan but Peeta in a silent plea to help her get her bag back. She didn't need to. Peeta was still holding Ryan's arm and tightened his grip so hard that Ryan's face turned an interesting shade of purple and Peeta's tendons stuck out against his fair pallor. There was no need for words. Ryan had shrugged the bag off and handed it to Katniss, the look on his face showing all signs of rebuttal but he didn't say anything. He retracted his arm, only to be stopped by Peeta.

"Apologise to the girl." his voice was laced with venom. This time, Ryan had something to say. "Hey, who the hell do you think you are?" he cried, trying to act cool but still grimacing under Peeta's grip. "Who the hell I am doesn't matter. What a decent person should do is apologise. Or didn't your mother teach you manners?" Peeta was still calm although his eyes held something that promised a good deal of bloodshed. Ryan laughed, his tone something like unbelieving. And that was when he said the wrong thing. "Alright, my mum didn't. But at least I have a mom. That pathetic little spawn doesn't even have _anybody_. Nothing!" he yelled, his words hitting the right spot. Katniss couldn't take it. She felt the tears that she held back spill, staining her cheeks and wetting her lips. She let her hair shroud her face, willing herself to stop. Moments later, she looked up to see Peeta staring at her, his eyes full of shock and recognition. He scanned her attire all the way down and she saw recognition in his eyes. He was able to relate the fact that Katniss lived with Aunt Julian and not her parents, her clothes and most of all, her absolute _patheticness_. Then something sparked in his eyes and although Katniss had had many dreams about evil monsters since her Daddy died, she saw this come to life. It was inside Peeta and Katniss was scared.

Before she could react, she saw the swift motion of Peeta's hands moving to grasp the front of Ryan's shirt and dragging him the two feet space between them, then connecting his fist solidly with Ryan's face. She heard a gratifying crack and the thud of Ryan falling flat to the floor, slumped unconscious and blood trickling down his chin. Although she didn't want to, she screamed. And the popular kids who had been watching all the while kept screaming and screaming and screaming too. It was chaos. She barely registered what was happening. All she kept her eyes riveted on was Peeta. He was looking down, wiping his bloody fist against his coat and something like exhaustion took over and his body leaned forward. He let out a sigh and looked around briefly, then his gaze landed on Katniss. And for a moment, it was just them, the blue-eyed boy and the grey-eyed girl. Everything around them was happening in slow motion when all of a sudden, Mr Albert, the strictest teacher in the entire school grabbed Peeta by the back and led him to the office. Katniss watched as Peeta walked away. And Peeta never looked back.

Since that incident, Peeta and Katniss had never so much as breathed a word to each other. Katniss was first sad because she thought that he was finally the true friend that she had been searching for all this while but when he cut all forms of communication from her, she deemed that he didn't care. She was only something dragging his popularity down and popularity was essential to survive. So for eleven years, he would always linger in the most hidden part of her mind, but never gone. The only closest form of communication was when she dropped her books in the hallway and Peeta, who was laughing and hanging by her locker with his other friends on the rugby team, bent down and collected her books, handing them to her within a couple of seconds. Then he walked away. On several occasions too, she had walked over to the 5th grade class to get Prim when she turned and found Peeta's gaze on her. Usually, it flitted away to stare at the grass or a building and Katniss would once again feel this heaviness in her heart. Once, it happened exactly the same way, only that Peeta didn't look away. He kept staring, his eyes holding no form of emotion except one of longing. A pure look of longing. To do, to do what? She saw Peeta start towards her, only to be stopped by one of the other guys. As if being awoken by some lazer shock, he drew back and caught himself. And that was it. He walked away as if the whole thing didn't happen and Katniss was left to fight the turmoil of emotions.


End file.
